Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from Malaysia! It has been and continues to be hot and humid! Things have been a whirlwind since I arrived home two weeks ago. It is hard to begin describing my experience of being home. No amount of preparation was sufficient when it came to dealing with the reverse culture shock. I knew that it would be hard but I never expected it to be this hard.
I am still adjusting to the hot and humid weather. The first few days were the worst as I felt lethargic, sweaty and there were moments when I thought I would not make it through the day! My body has sort of adjusted a little to the weather. Rain has finally arrived and it has been pouring like cats and dogs these past 2 days. I welcome the downpour as it brings with it the cool breeze and clears the sky. Nevertheless, I still long for the Victorian weather that I have been privileged enough to enjoy over the past 3 years.
Even though I missed my Malaysian cuisine, it has not been easy adjusting to the eating lifestyle here. My body went into shock as I was not able to get my usual diet of skim milk and cereal for breakfast, a big serving of fresh fruits and vegetables and good cheese! ;) I am also not used to having rice for every meal. I miss having fresh vegetables and fruits. I tried eating a raw carrot when I first came back and it tasted horrible. I was pretty upset that I couldn’t get lots of the food that I eat in Canada here. (I do welcome a care package consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables from Canada)
On a brighter note, I have unlimited access to an abundance of food. There are food stalls and hawker stalls at almost every corner and some of them are open 24 hours! I am also able to get Malaysian fruits at a fairly cheap price. I am reminded of the vast array of food and fruits that we have here in Malaysia and I am grateful for it.
I went through a period of intense homesickness. All I wanted to do was nap and cry. I really wanted to return back to Canada to be with my community and friends. I miss my lifestyle, the weather and the food and how easy it is to meet up with friends. I was sad and felt rejected that no one really inquired about my experiences in Canada. I felt like I have never left Malaysia. It was like time stopped and then resumed from where it stopped. I also quickly came to realization that my family has their own schedule and activities and at times, I felt lost and useless. I also felt like an outsider, peering into the lives of my family. It is hard to not have my own routine and familiar surroundings. I miss my community and lifestyle in Canada, but I am able to enjoy myself as well as my time with family and friends in Malaysia.I know that my family and friends are happy to have me home. Although it has been hard adjusting to life at home, I am grateful to have the opportunity to spend my summer in Malaysia. I am beginning to see that God has a greater purpose for me this summer. As many of you know, I am fundraising for my upcoming internship. Things took off amazingly but it got really hard when I came home. I felt really discouraged to a point where I lost all sense of purpose. However, God is good and faithful and somehow in His own ways, He used various people and various events in my life to encourage and spur me on. I am more at peace now because I know that God wants to provide for me and He will! I am called to be faithful to my call. Thus, I will continue to share my story and the works that God has done in my life. I will leave the rest to God.
I believe that July and August will be better now that I have been home for 2 weeks and have experienced the worst of reverse culture shock. I am slowly realizing that even though I am far away from my community, I am not forgotten. I am also well loved by my family and friends here as well as my community in Canada.
The next time you hear from me, I trust that it will be filled with many God encounter stories and possibly a few good laughs stories. Take care, keep in touch and God bless.
Blessings,
Rachelle
Greetings from Malaysia! It has been and continues to be hot and humid! Things have been a whirlwind since I arrived home two weeks ago. It is hard to begin describing my experience of being home. No amount of preparation was sufficient when it came to dealing with the reverse culture shock. I knew that it would be hard but I never expected it to be this hard.I am still adjusting to the hot and humid weather. The first few days were the worst as I felt lethargic, sweaty and there were moments when I thought I would not make it through the day! My body has sort of adjusted a little to the weather. Rain has finally arrived and it has been pouring like cats and dogs these past 2 days. I welcome the downpour as it brings with it the cool breeze and clears the sky. Nevertheless, I still long for the Victorian weather that I have been privileged enough to enjoy over the past 3 years.
Even though I missed my Malaysian cuisine, it has not been easy adjusting to the eating lifestyle here. My body went into shock as I was not able to get my usual diet of skim milk and cereal for breakfast, a big serving of fresh fruits and vegetables and good cheese! ;) I am also not used to having rice for every meal. I miss having fresh vegetables and fruits. I tried eating a raw carrot when I first came back and it tasted horrible. I was pretty upset that I couldn’t get lots of the food that I eat in Canada here. (I do welcome a care package consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables from Canada)
On a brighter note, I have unlimited access to an abundance of food. There are food stalls and hawker stalls at almost every corner and some of them are open 24 hours! I am also able to get Malaysian fruits at a fairly cheap price. I am reminded of the vast array of food and fruits that we have here in Malaysia and I am grateful for it.
I went through a period of intense homesickness. All I wanted to do was nap and cry. I really wanted to return back to Canada to be with my community and friends. I miss my lifestyle, the weather and the food and how easy it is to meet up with friends. I was sad and felt rejected that no one really inquired about my experiences in Canada. I felt like I have never left Malaysia. It was like time stopped and then resumed from where it stopped. I also quickly came to realization that my family has their own schedule and activities and at times, I felt lost and useless. I also felt like an outsider, peering into the lives of my family. It is hard to not have my own routine and familiar surroundings. I miss my community and lifestyle in Canada, but I am able to enjoy myself as well as my time with family and friends in Malaysia.I know that my family and friends are happy to have me home. Although it has been hard adjusting to life at home, I am grateful to have the opportunity to spend my summer in Malaysia. I am beginning to see that God has a greater purpose for me this summer. As many of you know, I am fundraising for my upcoming internship. Things took off amazingly but it got really hard when I came home. I felt really discouraged to a point where I lost all sense of purpose. However, God is good and faithful and somehow in His own ways, He used various people and various events in my life to encourage and spur me on. I am more at peace now because I know that God wants to provide for me and He will! I am called to be faithful to my call. Thus, I will continue to share my story and the works that God has done in my life. I will leave the rest to God.
I believe that July and August will be better now that I have been home for 2 weeks and have experienced the worst of reverse culture shock. I am slowly realizing that even though I am far away from my community, I am not forgotten. I am also well loved by my family and friends here as well as my community in Canada.
The next time you hear from me, I trust that it will be filled with many God encounter stories and possibly a few good laughs stories. Take care, keep in touch and God bless.
Blessings,
Rachelle
